Hey guys. Ok from Rome, Ryanair and Easyjet fly to these places of interest to me:
Berlin Geneva Newcastle Stockholm Dublin Eindhoven (to Amsterdam) Glasgow Santiago de Compostela Krakow (via SkyEurope)
Which of these places would you recommend for a 3 night stint? For example, 3 nights in Berlin probably isn't enough whereas 3 nights in Santiago D.C. might be too many. Thoughts?
----------------------------------- Pekorino, my food blog On The Road, Again [travel stories from 2005-2006]
3 nights in Dublin would be good. Time enough to visit the sights,get the flavour and possibly a trip out to the nearby coast too. Aah nearly forgot enough time to experience the "craic" Wendy
Posts: 2746 | Location: Lightwater Surrey U K | Registered: 30 March 2003
Berlin is a fantastic long weekend destination, so much to see and do that it boggles the mind. One of the most interesting cities in Europe, with a complex history, great art and cultural scene, great food, lots of east meets west atmosphere. Sure you could do alot more time there but three days will give you the flavor of the city enough to find out when you want to return.
I haven't been myself but one of my daughter's favorite places that she traveled to for a long weekend during her semester abroad was Berlin. She said it was a very hip city, lots of young people, good bars and lots of history. Oh and inexpensive too. Tough choice!
I'd vote for Amsterdam except Eindhoven is not close to Amsterdam. It is a 1 1/2 hours to Amsterdam by bus or train. Here's information on transportation from Eindhoven. That's why I didn't use Ryan to get from Holland to Italy.
But there are other potentially cheap ways to get to Amsterdam from Italy. If you are going to be near Rome, try Virgin Express. They fly directly from FCO to Schiphol. So even if they are a bit more, you can potentially save with both time and ground transportation. They also fly to Brussels which is their main hub.
Amsterdam is fun. There is something for everyone. Very easy to get around. The center is very walkable. It can seem a bit 'raw' to people but it is a lot cleaner than it used to be.
Anyway, re: Berlin, the nice thing about it is that most of the discount airlines operate out of the Schoenefeld Airport. The train station is literally within 3 minutes walk and it's a 20 min train ride to the center of the city. Much easier than dealing with shuttle bus.
If you decide to go with Berlin, this restaurant list might be helpful:
I especially like Amrit, an Idian restaurant with really good nan bread. It gets very crowded after 6:00 pm even during weekdays and it's not unusual to have to wait an hour for your food. Then there is Monsieur Vuongs (not on the list). I love their soup! A bit pricy but Cafe Einstein next to the American Embassy is a favorite for breakfast and dessert. I'll be in Berlin in about 2 weeks and I intend on eating till my pants don't zip up.
I can't be sure, as I've only ever been there for a business meeting one afternoon but I have a feeling you might want more than 3 days to visit Berlin. I understand that Krakow is stunning and is, I think, smaller so maybe more manageable.
Of the two UK destinations, both Glasgow and Newcastle are definitely worth a visit but if you only have a short time I think I would recommend Newcastle. Glasgow is a great city, but it's big and there is a lot to cover. Newcastle, by contrast, is smaller but has enjoyed a huge buzz recently due to a lot of regeneration. It's a university town so lots going on at night and you should find prices are more reasonable there than, say, London. The opening of the Baltic arts centre has created a huge stir amongst the cognicenti. Most interesting of all is the local dialect known as Geordie (also the name of the inhabitants). Some dispute whether it properly qualifies as a dialect, but if it isn't, it's probably the closest there is to a separate dialect here in the UK. Either way, it will take you 3 days to work out what anybody is saying although they'll understand you.
It's an enormously friendly city and also the home of Newcastle Brown Ale. I'd be inclined to go for Newcastle. You'll always make time to see Berlin some time in the future, but you might not have another chance to drop in on Newcastle and I think you would find it fascinating.
Beebee
Posts: 1951 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 09 September 2002
I checked but Virgin only seems to fly to Brussels, not Amsterdam. Maybe you were thinking of another airline? I know there's a meta search engine out there that searches all of Europe's low cost carriers, but I can't seem to find it.
----------------------------------- Pekorino, my food blog On The Road, Again [travel stories from 2005-2006]
I've been trying for ages to get a cheap flight to Italy for my nephew who is studying in Amsterdam. The only budget airline I could find is Transavia which flies to Genoa, Pisa and Naples but not Rome. It's also not quite as cheap as EasyJet or Ryanair.
Beebee
Posts: 1951 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 09 September 2002
That sucks. Virgin dropped the airport! There used to be a flight because I've taken it (Nov 2004). It was 79 euros but with tax it was almost 111 euros. But sure enough, when I look out on Virgin Express, Amsterdam is no longer listed. Bummer. It was a good flight.
Transavia is the other option as Beebee mentioned. It also flies to Rotterdam which 20 minutes by bus to train and 1 hour by train to Amsterdam so it is just about the same amount of time as Eindhoven. Eindhoven is out in the middle of Holland and the headquarters of Philips.
Awesome, thank you guys very much. I have two and a half sweaty weeks in August in which I'm considering jetting out of Italy to places north and cooler. Maybe a combo of a couple cities. Definitely an idea, Amsterdam and Berlin.. and Krakow looks very interesting too from Andrzej's notes.
----------------------------------- Pekorino, my food blog On The Road, Again [travel stories from 2005-2006]
I love Amsterdam. I was there in June once and it was quite cool. During the summer they have free concerts every night in the Vondelpark... just be careful here as inexpensive accomodations can be pretty skanky (as I learned the hard way, twice.)
Originally posted by Rar: I checked but Virgin only seems to fly to Brussels, not Amsterdam.
Rar, I know it wasn't on your original list, but Brussels is not exactly a bad choice for a destination, either! And might be an excellent choice for 3 days. Great museums, great seafood, great beer (each served in a different style of glass), and a great city to wander around in and soak up the atmosphere. Find any Pain Quotidian shop for a terrific breakfast (try the hazelnut confiture - so good it ought to be illegal). And of course, Neuhaus chocolates (top-of-the-line, very expensive, but worth it for a splurge), or Leonidas (IMHO best value of the less expensive chocolatiers).
Originally posted by Rar: I have two and a half sweaty weeks in August in which I'm considering jetting out of Italy to places north and cooler.
Hmmm. Berlin would be cooler than most parts of Italy but it's still uncomfortably hot in August.
If you want to completely escape the summer heat then I'll head further north.
This thread got me thinking where I want to head for weekends myself from Berlin this summer... Thank goodness for all these discount airlines. Makes everything so much more affordable.
Berlin would be cooler than most parts of Italy but it's still uncomfortably hot in August.
If you want to completely escape the summer heat then I'll head further north.
I have to say, Julia and Rar, I have been in Berlin August when I needed a turtleneck and a down vest. No lie. German weather is not known for its consistency. One year in Hamburg, I never unpacked my summer stuff. We went straight from spring to fall with no summer at all. So don't always count on August being warm!!
BTW Rar, Hamburg is a fantastic destination for a long weekend. Having lived there for many years, I can tell you it is a very international city, has the second largest port in Europe, and is very progressive, diverse and interesting. Large areas were NOT bombed in WW2, and the result is a very interesting city architecturally, with post-modern industrial/maritime mixed into 18th and 19th century Jugendstil. Tons of funky areas with great restaurants, student areas, good cool inexpensive shopping, street markets. I can provide you with alot of info about Hamburg if you want.
There is an ICE (Inter City Express) from Berlin which they often discount heavily which gets you to Hamburg in an hour.
You can pretty much be sure that it won't be that hot in Hamburg
I spent the summer of 2004 in Berlin and it got unbearably hot at least for me. I'm a whimp when it comes to heat so anything above 30 celcius does me in and I start living like a vampire.
I must confess, I read a very vivid and unflattering depiction on Hamburg circa 1960's in one of The Beatles' biographies. Since then, I had this notion of the city as some sort of industrial city without a soul. I'm glad that you corrected my misconception.
Speaking of unpacking seasonal clothes, I better go unpack my suitcase from November trip so I can pack for spring break.
I experienced both quite cold and extremely rainy weather, as well as stifling hot muggy weather, in Berlin in the same five-night stay in July. I was happy for good air conditioning. It's a city that is most definitely worth visiting. A long weekend would be enough to get started anyway.
Topic Closed
Second choice, Dublin...
